Ya Se

Ya Se, originally named Zhao Yu, is a Chinese compiler and author of popular books. He holds a master's degree in psychology (some sources say philosophy) from Beijing Normal University and has worked as a magazine editor and psychological counselor. Public information about his life is limited, and his birth and death years are not clearly recorded. Judging from the thirty-nine works held in the library, his compiling interests span several fields: biographical and general works such as The Story of My Life: Helen Keller's Selected Works, Eastern philosophy and traditional self-cultivation texts including Zhuangzi, Zhongyong, Bingjian and Zeng Guofan's Family Letters, social and cultural classics such as The Old Regime and the Revolution and Democracy in America, and history readers on classical poetry and the Twenty-Five Histories. He has also compiled books on psychology, motivation and personal growth. Overall, Ya Se's work consists mainly of selection, editing and popularization for general readers, turning intellectual classics and cultural history into accessible texts; he has produced a large number of books on motivation, Chinese studies and traditional culture, forming a broad and practical compiling style.